"No cheques," he said. "To be paid in notes!"
"You"ll have to give us time - to get hold of the money."
"I"ll give you forty-eight hours."
"Make it next Tuesday."
"All right. You"ll bring the money here." He added before David could speak. "I"m not meeting you at a lonely copse - or a deserted river speak. "I"m not meeting you at a lonely copse - or a deserted river bank, so don"t you think so. You"ll bring the money here - to the Stag - bank, so don"t you think so. You"ll bring the money here - to the Stag - at nine o"clock next Tuesday evening." at nine o"clock next Tuesday evening."
"Suspicious sort of chap, aren"t you?"
"I know my way about. And I know your kind."
"As you said, then."
David went out of the room and down the stairs. His face was black with rage. with rage.
Beatrice Lippincott came out of the room marked No. 4. There was a communicating door between 4 and 5, though the fact could hardly be communicating door between 4 and 5, though the fact could hardly be noted by an occupant in 5 since a wardrobe stood upright in front of it. noted by an occupant in 5 since a wardrobe stood upright in front of it.
Miss Lippincott"s cheeks were pink and her eyes bright with pleasurable excitement. pleasurable excitement.
She smoothed back her pompadour of hair with an agitated hand.
Chapter 10.
Shepherd"s Court, Mayfair, was a large block of luxury service flats. Unharmed by the ravages of enemy action, they had nevertheless Unharmed by the ravages of enemy action, they had nevertheless been unable to keep up quite their pre-war standard of ease. been unable to keep up quite their pre-war standard of ease.
There was service still, although not very good service. Where there had been two uniformed porters there was now only one. The had been two uniformed porters there was now only one. The restaurant still served meals, but except for breakfast, meals were not restaurant still served meals, but except for breakfast, meals were not sent up to the apartments. sent up to the apartments.
The flat rented by Mrs Gordon Cloade was on the third floor. It consisted of a sitting-room with a built-in c.o.c.ktail bar, two bedrooms consisted of a sitting-room with a built-in c.o.c.ktail bar, two bedrooms with built-in cupboards, and a superbly appointed bathroom, gleaming with built-in cupboards, and a superbly appointed bathroom, gleaming with tiles and chromium. with tiles and chromium.
In the sitting-room David Hunter was striding up and down whilst Rosaleen sat on a big square-ended settee watching him. She looked Rosaleen sat on a big square-ended settee watching him. She looked pale and frightened. pale and frightened.
"Blackmail!" he muttered. "Blackmail! My G.o.d, am I the kind of man to let myself be blackmailed?" let myself be blackmailed?"
She shook her head, bewildered, troubled.
"If I knew," David was saying. "If I only knew -"
From Rosaleen there came a small miserable sob.
He went on: "It"s this working in the dark - working blindfold -" He wheeled round suddenly. "You took those emeralds round to Bond Street to old suddenly. "You took those emeralds round to Bond Street to old Greatorex?" Greatorex?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
Rosaleen"s voice was stricken as she said: "Four thousand. Four thousand pounds. He said if I didn"t sell them they ought to be reinsured." they ought to be reinsured."
"Yes - precious stones have doubled in value. Oh well, we can raise the money. But if we do, it"s only the beginning - it means being bled to money. But if we do, it"s only the beginning - it means being bled to death - bled, Rosaleen, bled white!" death - bled, Rosaleen, bled white!"
She cried: "Oh, let"s leave England - let"s get away couldn"t we go to Ireland - America - somewhere?" America - somewhere?"
He turned and looked at her.
"You"re not a fighter, are you, Rosaleen? Cut and run is your motto."
She wailed: "We"re wrong - all this has been wrong - very wicked."
"Don"t turn pious on me just now! I can"t stand it. We were sitting pretty, Rosaleen. For the first time in my life I was sitting pretty - and pretty, Rosaleen. For the first time in my life I was sitting pretty - and I"m not going to let it all go, do you hear? If only it wasn"t this cursed I"m not going to let it all go, do you hear? If only it wasn"t this cursed fighting in the dark. You understand, don"t you, that the whole thing fighting in the dark. You understand, don"t you, that the whole thing may be bluff - nothing but bluff? Underhay"s probably safely buried in may be bluff - nothing but bluff? Underhay"s probably safely buried in Africa as we"ve always thought he was." Africa as we"ve always thought he was."
She shivered.
"Don"t, David. You make me afraid."
He looked at her, saw the panic in her face, and at once his manner changed. He came over to her, sat down, took her cold hands in his. changed. He came over to her, sat down, took her cold hands in his.
"You"re not to worry," he said. "Leave it all to me - and do as I tell you. You can manage that, can"t you? Just do exactly as I tell you." You can manage that, can"t you? Just do exactly as I tell you."
"I always do, David."
He laughed. "Yes, you always do. We"ll snap out of this, never you fear. I"ll find a way of scotching Mr Enoch Arden." I"ll find a way of scotching Mr Enoch Arden."
"Wasn"t there a poem, David - something about a man coming back -"
"Yes." He cut her short. "That"s just what worries me... But I"ll get to the bottom of things, never you fear." the bottom of things, never you fear."
She said: "It"s Tuesday night you - take him the money?"
He nodded.
"Five thousand. I"ll tell him I can"t raise the rest all at once. But I must stop him going to the Cloades. I think that was only a threat, but I can"t stop him going to the Cloades. I think that was only a threat, but I can"t be sure." be sure."
He stopped, his eyes became dreamy, far away. Behind them his mind worked, considering and rejecting possibilities. worked, considering and rejecting possibilities.
Then he laughed. It was a gay reckless laugh. There were men, now dead, who would have recognised it... dead, who would have recognised it...
It was the laugh of a man going into action on a hazardous and dangerous enterprise. There was enjoyment in it and defiance. dangerous enterprise. There was enjoyment in it and defiance.
"I can trust you, Rosaleen," he said. "Thank goodness I can trust you absolutely!" absolutely!"
"Trust me?" She raised her big inquiring eyes. "To do what?"
He smiled again. "To do exactly as you are told. That"s the secret, Rosaleen, of a successful operation." Rosaleen, of a successful operation."
He laughed: "Operation Enoch Arden."
Chapter 11.
Rowley opened the big mauve envelope with some surprise. Who on earth, he wondered, could be writing to him, using that kind of earth, he wondered, could be writing to him, using that kind of stationery - and how did they manage to get it, anyway. These fancy stationery - and how did they manage to get it, anyway. These fancy lines had surely gone right out during the war. lines had surely gone right out during the war.
"Dear Mr. Rowley," he read, "I hope you won"t think I"m taking a liberty in writing to you this way, but if you"ll excuse me, I do think there are things going on that you but if you"ll excuse me, I do think there are things going on that you ought to know about." ought to know about."
He noted the underlining with a puzzled look.
"Arising out of our conversation the other evening when you came in asking about a certain person. If you could call in at the Stag, I"d be asking about a certain person. If you could call in at the Stag, I"d be very glad to tell you all about it. We"ve all of us felt down here what a very glad to tell you all about it. We"ve all of us felt down here what a wicked shame it was about your Uncle dying and his money going the wicked shame it was about your Uncle dying and his money going the way it did. way it did.
"Hoping you won"t be angry with me, but I really do think you ought to know what"s going on. know what"s going on.
"Yours ever, "Beatrice Lippincott."
Rowley stared down at this missive, his mind afire with speculation. What on earth was all this about? Good old Bee. He"d known Beatrice What on earth was all this about? Good old Bee. He"d known Beatrice all his life. Bought tobacco from her father"s shop and pa.s.sed the time all his life. Bought tobacco from her father"s shop and pa.s.sed the time of day with her behind the counter. She"d been a good-looking girl. He of day with her behind the counter. She"d been a good-looking girl. He remembered as a child hearing rumours about her during an absence remembered as a child hearing rumours about her during an absence of hers from Warmsley Vale. She"d been away about a year and of hers from Warmsley Vale. She"d been away about a year and everybody said she"d gone away to have an illegitimate baby. Perhaps everybody said she"d gone away to have an illegitimate baby. Perhaps she had, perhaps she hadn"t. But she was certainly highly respectable she had, perhaps she hadn"t. But she was certainly highly respectable and refined nowadays. Plenty of backchat and giggles, but an almost and refined nowadays. Plenty of backchat and giggles, but an almost painful propriety. painful propriety.
Rowley glanced up at the clock. He"d go along to the Stag right away. To h.e.l.l with all those forms. He wanted to know what it was that To h.e.l.l with all those forms. He wanted to know what it was that Beatrice was so anxious to tell him. Beatrice was so anxious to tell him.
It was a little after eight when he pushed open the door of the saloon bar. bar.
There were the usual greetings, nods of the head, "Evening, sir." Rowley edged up to the bar and asked for a Guinness. Rowley edged up to the bar and asked for a Guinness.
Beatrice beamed upon him.
"Glad to see you, Mr Rowley."
"Evening, Beatrice. Thanks for your note."
She gave him a quick glance.
"I"ll be with you in a minute, Mr Rowley."
He nodded - and drank his half pint meditatively whilst he watched Beatrice finish serving out. She called over her shoulder and presently Beatrice finish serving out. She called over her shoulder and presently the girl Lily came in to relieve her. Beatrice murmured, "If you"ll come the girl Lily came in to relieve her. Beatrice murmured, "If you"ll come with me, Mr Rowley?" with me, Mr Rowley?"
She led him along a pa.s.sage and in through a door marked Private. Inside it was very small and overfurnished with plush arm-chairs, a Inside it was very small and overfurnished with plush arm-chairs, a blaring radio, a lot of china ornaments and a rather battered-looking blaring radio, a lot of china ornaments and a rather battered-looking pierrot doll thrown across the back of a chair. pierrot doll thrown across the back of a chair.
Beatrice Lippincott turned off the radio and indicated a plush armchair. armchair.
"I"m ever so glad you came up, Mr Rowley, and I hope you didn"t mind my writing to you - but I"ve been turning it over in my mind all over the my writing to you - but I"ve been turning it over in my mind all over the weekend - and as I said I really felt you ought to know what"s going weekend - and as I said I really felt you ought to know what"s going on." on."
She was looking happy and important, clearly pleased with herself.
Rowley asked with mild curiosity: "What is going on?"
"Well, Mr Rowley, you know the gentleman who"s staying here - Mr Arden, the one you came and asked about." Arden, the one you came and asked about."
"Yes?"
"It was the very next evening. Mr Hunter came along and asked for him." him."
"Mr Hunter?"
Rowley sat up interestedly.
"Yes, Mr Rowley. No. 5, I said, and Mr Hunter nodded and went straight up. I was surprised I must say, for this Mr Arden hadn"t said he knew up. I was surprised I must say, for this Mr Arden hadn"t said he knew any one in Warmsley Vale and I"d kind of taken it for granted he was a any one in Warmsley Vale and I"d kind of taken it for granted he was a stranger here and didn"t know any one in the place. Very out of temper stranger here and didn"t know any one in the place. Very out of temper Mr Hunter looked, as though something had happened to upset him but Mr Hunter looked, as though something had happened to upset him but of course I didn"t make anything of it then" of course I didn"t make anything of it then"
She paused for breath. Rowley said nothing, just listened. He never hurried people. If they liked to take their time it suited him. hurried people. If they liked to take their time it suited him.
Beatrice continued with dignity: "It was just a little later I had occasion to go up to No. 4 to see to the towels and the bed linen. That"s next door to No. 5, and as it happens towels and the bed linen. That"s next door to No. 5, and as it happens there"s a communicating door - not that you"d know it from No. 5 there"s a communicating door - not that you"d know it from No. 5 because the big wardrobe there stands right across it, so that you wouldn"t know there was a door. Of course it"s always kept shut but as wouldn"t know there was a door. Of course it"s always kept shut but as it happened this time it was just a bit open - though who opened it I"ve it happened this time it was just a bit open - though who opened it I"ve no idea, I"m sure!" no idea, I"m sure!"
Again Rowley said nothing, but just nodded his head.
Beatrice, he thought, had opened it. She had been curious and had gone up deliberately to No. 4 to find out what she could. gone up deliberately to No. 4 to find out what she could.
"And so you see, Mr Rowley, I couldn"t help hearing what was going on. Really, you could have knocked me over with a feather -" on. Really, you could have knocked me over with a feather -"
A pretty substantial feather, thought Rowley, would be needed.
He listened, with an impa.s.sive, almost bovine face, to Beatrice"s succinct account of the conversation she had overheard. succinct account of the conversation she had overheard.
When she had finished, she waited expectantly.
It was fully a couple of minutes before Rowley came out of his trance. Then he got up. Then he got up.
"Thanks, Beatrice," he said. "Thanks a lot."
And with that he went straight out of the room. Beatrice felt somewhat deflated. She really did think, she said to herself, that Mr Rowley might deflated. She really did think, she said to herself, that Mr Rowley might have said something. have said something.
Chapter 12.
When Rowley left the Stag his steps turned automatically in the direction of home, but after walking a few hundred yards, he pulled up direction of home, but after walking a few hundred yards, he pulled up short and retraced his steps. short and retraced his steps.
His mind took things in slowly and his first astonishment over Beatrice"s revelations was only now beginning to give way to a true Beatrice"s revelations was only now beginning to give way to a true appreciation of the significance. appreciation of the significance.